Veteran Bigfoot Researcher Dan Discusses Fieldwork and White Biped Project

Ever stumble across a podcast where the guest has literally been growled at, sneezed at, and had rocks thrown at them by the very subject they're studying? That's exactly what happened when Dan Nedrelo sat down for a chat on the Monkey Wrench Podcast, and let me tell you, this one's worth every minute. Dan is no ordinary researcher. This guy has lived a life that reads like an adventure novel. He's a herpetologist by trade, which means he's spent decades getting up close and personal with reptiles and amphibians, everything from venomous snakes to reticulated pythons stretching 17 feet long. He's been bitten by alligators, crocodiles, monitor lizards, and Burmese pythons, and somehow walked away with just scars and stories. Former zookeeper, wildlife photographer, volunteer with the Milwaukee Public Museum in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The man has been around. But here's where it gets really interesting for us. Dan's fascination with Sasquatch started when he was just 10 years old, sparked by a fifth grade teacher who casually mentioned the "abominable snowman." He went straight to the encyclopedias, and the rest, as they say, is history. The year was 1967, the same year the famous Patterson-Gimlin film surfaced, and Dan realized he didn't have to travel to the Himalayas to chase his passion. Something was happening right here in North America. One of the creepier moments he shared was from when he was 14 at a church camp. He heard hissing in the woods, something that years later he connected to recordings from the Michigan Recording Project. That sound, he believes, was Sasquatch-related. Imagine being a teenager and hearing something like that, then spending decades trying to figure out what it was. Dan eventually joined the BFRO at age 43, and he dove in headfirst. So headfirst, in fact, that he gained 55 pounds from sitting at the computer and making calls from Alaska to Florida to Maine to California. His typing speed jumped from 35 words per minute to 105. He was obsessed, and he admits that kind of obsession can be problematic. He's seen relationships fall apart because of this subject, and he cautions others about it. After taking a few years off, Dan came back in 2008 and ended up at a private property in Georgia where he saw his first footprint. That moment launched everything. Since then, he's had rocks thrown at him, been growled at, and even been sneezed at. To him, these weren't threats, they were warnings, and honestly, kind of endearing ones at that. He's only had one daytime visual, and most of the time, the encounters involve juveniles. He's been collaborating with Shane Carpenter and Randy Harrington since 2019, and he's been invited to investigate reports in roughly 20 different states. He's done BFRO expeditions in Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Missouri, and he's been asked to come to Ohio and Kentucky to work with Charlie. One project that really stands out is what Dan calls the "Big White" or "White Biped Project." He's tracking claims and reports of white, blonde, or silvery white Sasquatch individuals. This ties into a long history of sightings across North America where witnesses have described unusually pale or even albino-looking Sasquatch. From the famous "Snowman" reports in the Pacific Northwest to various accounts of white-furred creatures in the Appalachians, this is a thread that researchers have been pulling on for decades. Dan's trying to gather as many people interested in this phenomenon as possible, band them together, and share what they find. What makes Dan's perspective so unique is his background in wildlife photography and his comfort around dangerous animals. He understands animal behavior, he knows how to read a situation, and he knows the difference between genuine curiosity and a warning. When he says something was "sugar," that's high praise coming from someone who's been that close to the action. If you're looking for a podcast that goes deep into the life of someone who's spent decades in the field, this is it. Dan's story is a reminder that Sasquatch research isn't just about going into the woods, it's about a lifetime of curiosity, obsession, and learning from every encounter, whether that's a footprint in Georgia or a hiss in the Michigan woods. Definitely worth checking out the full conversation. Dan Nedrelo is one of those researchers who brings a whole different lens to the subject, literally and figuratively.